VF-1S Valkyrie
The VF-1S Valkyrie is a Variable Fighter featured in the Super Dimension Fortress Macross television series, The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love? movie and The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Flash Back 2012 OVA. It is the variant used by squadron leaders, most famously Roy Focker of the elite Skull Squadron. Technology & Combat Characteristics Macross Chronicle Revised Edition 15/01/2013 Page 5 Armaments ;*Fixed RÖV-20 Anti-Aircraft Laser Cannon :Manufactured by Mauler, these can fire 6000 pulses per minute. VF-1S Valkyries come with four. ;*GU-11 55 mm Three-Barrel Gatling Gun Pod :Manufactured by Howard, this gun has 200 rounds that are fired at 1200 rounds per minute. ;*Underwing Hard Points :Comes equipped with 2 sets of 3 AMM-1 hybrid guided multipurpose missiles under each wing. ;*MK-82 LDGB conventional bombs :12 are can be equipped in 4 groups of 3. ;*RMS-1 large anti-ship reaction missiles :2 mounted on the outer part of each wing and 1 mounted on the inner part. ;*UUM-7 micro-missile pods :1 for each of the four points on the wings, each carrying 15 Bifors HMM-01 micro-missiles.Macross Chronicle Revised Edition 15/01/2013 Page 7 Special Equipment & Features *;FAST Pack "Strike" Augmentative Space Weapon System VF1S-Fastpack Battroid.gif|VF-1S equipped with a FAST Pack in Battroid mode. VF1S-FASTpack Fighter.gif|VF-1S equipped with a FAST Pack in Fighter mode. When a VF-1S is equipped with this FAST Pack, it becomes a VF-1S Strike Valkyrie. This kind of FAST Pack is similar to those used by other VF-1 Valkyrie variants but instead of having two HMMP-02 micro-missile launcher pods, the "Strike" system replaces one of the micro-missile pods (typically the one of the right) with a RO-X2A high-powered double-action beam cannon that is manufactured by Mauler.Macross Chronicle Revised Edition 15/01/2013 Page 4 History Space War I Roy Focker-6 VF-1A-3 VF-1S-1 SDFM-1.png|Roy climbing into his VF-1S. VF-1As are in the background. Roy Focker-7 SDFM-1.png|Roy in the cockpit, ready to go to war for the first time in two years. The VF-1S Vakyrie first saw action on February 7, 2009, the launch day of the SDF-1 Macross. After a disastrous battle in space, Captain Global, via First Lieutenant Hayase, ordered all fighters to scramble and Major Focker got in his VF-1S to lead out the Skull Squadron, going to war for the first time in two years. As Gnerl Fighter Pods and VF-1A Valkyries battled in the airspace of South Ataria Island, Major Focker told all fighters in the Sepia and Mont squadrons to scatter the enemy units in Zone 428, that was when he re-encountered with his kōhai, Hikaru Ichijyo again, whom he left in the cockpit of a VF-1D labeled VT-102. Roy casually used the missiles on his VF-1S to destroy a Gnerl that was approaching VT-102 and told Hikaru to follow his lead, but beams from another Gnerl then hit VT-102 and Hikaru blanked out, later crash-landing. Variants Gallery VF1S Battroid.gif|Roy's variant in Battroid Mode. VF1S GERWALK.gif|Roy's variant in GERWALK mode. VF1S Fighter.gif|Roy's varianr in Fighter mode. VF1S-DYRL-Max Battroid.gif|Max's variant in Battroid mode. VF1S-DYRL-Max Fighter.gif|Max's variant in Fighter mode. VF1S-DYRL-Strike Battroid.gif|"Strike" Valkyrie in Battroid Mode VF1S-DYRL-Strike GERWALK.gif|"Strike" Valkyrie in GERWALK Mode VF1S-DYRL-Strike Fighter.gif|"Strike" Valkyrie in Fighter Mode. VF1S-DYRL-Strike-Hikaru Battroid.gif|Using the colors taken from his VF-1A, Hikaru Ichijo is later assigned a VF-1S "Strike" Valkyrie, the hull painted with red stripes.Variant VF-1S Strike "Hikaru" Valkyrie VF1S-DYRL-Strike-Hikaru GERWALK.gif|Hikaru's "Strike" Valkyrie in GERWALK Mode. VF1S-DYRL-Strike-Hikaru Fighter.gif|Hikaru's "Strike" Valkyrie in Fighter Mode. GU-11.gif|GU-11 55 mm Three-Barrel Gatling Gun Pod Notes & Trivia VF-1 and Similar Mechas Outside of Macross Since the release of the original Macross series, the VF-1 Valkyrie has become one of the most popular and well-known mecha among anime and science fiction fans alongside the RX-78-2 Gundam. Examples of homages and similar mecha are: *The VF-1S Super Valkyrie was repainted by Hasbro in red and white, given an Autobot insignia sticker to represent the character "Jetfire " in the Transformers toyline, due to it not being by business partners Takara (Takatoku also was later bought by Takara's largest rival, Bandai), Takara pressured Hasbro to change his character design and name in the animated television series and the comics into the only just similar "Skyfire" which has a boxy futuristic jet look, there's an Easter egg in the episode "Day of the Machines" where Skyfire transforms into a backward's facing GERWALK mode to land on ship. This toy also prevented Matchbox from releasing the VF-1 Valkyrie for Robotech, as a result they had to release a lower-quality super deformed version. Although his design was changed for the show, the VF-1S design appeared in the Jetfire and Shockwave commercial. Years later as part of the Transformers Classics/Henkei line, Jetfire was given a show-accurate toy , incorporating both elements from his appearance in the show and elements of his VF-1 Valkyrie origins, including a removable helmet with Valkyrie antennae (and an arguably Gundam-like faceplate) to place over the show-accurate head that has a mouth and FAST pack-esque armour and canons. *The generations Jetfire toy fearures an alternate mode based on the VF-1 Valkyrie but a show-accurate robot mode, like the Classics version, there is a helmet that includes Valkyrie antennae. *The Armo-Fighter AFC-01 Legioss in Genesis Climber MOSPEADA, and of course the show being one of the unrelated animes adapted into Robotech, it was called the VFA-6 Alpha. * The Decepticon Starscream in Transformers Animated, which featured a similar transformation. *The Empire of the Rising Sun's Mecha Tengu/Jet Tengu in Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 *The Viking in StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty *The Maladroids "Zardak" and "Zark" in the Convertors toyline. *The Transformables figure "Hurricane" released by the mexican toy company Ensueño. *The Variable Cyberbot from Happy Well's "Galaxy Defender" toyline, which is a slightly remolded VF-1S. Background The VF-1 was created by the renowned Japanese mecha designer Shoji Kawamori (with contributions by his Studio Nue partner Kazutaka Miyatake) in 1980-1982 to be the centerpiece mecha design of the anime series The Super Dimension Fortress Macross (1982–1983). The Grumman F-14 Tomcat, with its variable-sweep wing design, served as the main design inspiration of the VF-1. The name "Valkyrie" is a tribute to the real world XB-70 Valkyrie, an experimental supersonic strategic bomber developed in the United States in the 1960s. References External Links Category:Super Dimension Fortress Macross Category:SDF and DYRL Mecha Category:Variable Fighters Category:Featured Category:Mecha & Vehicles Category:SDF Macross